Hugh MacGrillen

heh...

<Dom> Man it's good to see you back. If you are wondering why some blackguard gave you the nickname "Digger" on the admin page, this may have something to do with the rumor <twinlark> started that you are actually Australian.

Well ok I started the rumor.

Did you notice the spirited defence of your player page bio in the <Bistro> last week?

We were so determined that your existing bio be left untouched that we ended up defending an obvious grammatical error in the process.

<Stonehenge> and <SwitchingVolvosForWolves> were the only stalwarts who even noticed the error.

I'm rather touched, in fact, at the way people defended my unusual bio. And I still don't know who wrote it.

<And I still don't know who wrote it.>

errm...I'm not sure how the extra "be" crept in but I'm sure there was a great and reasonable reason, if only I could remember what it was...

Maybe it was another

<Paris in the
the spring>

<Doggimus!>

I should have known...

It probably *was* you who told everyone <Dom> used to run a sheep station in Wallaby's Balls.

Hmm I'm just now looking at a map of Oz and did you guys know that "The Great Australian Bint" is a major geographical feature?

Indeed a well established feature of the Oz landscape. A bit like the Simpson Desert where there are nothing but hordes of simpsons deserting their homelands and overrunning the landscape.

A few years back I pointed out some of my objections to the use of 'LOL'. Unlike British PM David Cameron (who apparently thought that LOL stood for 'lots of love') I knew that it meant 'laughing out loud' -- but I just couldn't see what there was for anyone to laugh at.

This led to the idea of sado-lollery, or sadistic laughter at other people: the typical sado-lollard says things like "you're an idiot LOL" -- where there is nothing remotely funny, nothing to be laughed at - unless you're a sado-lollard.

This (sado-) lollery now seems to have moved on. Some of the posts with 'LOL' on the current Anand-Carlsen match are truly cretinous. Either people are now laughing aimlessly at nothing at all, or the lollards have taken over the asylum.

It is a Swiss, although I think they are using a Vega system, but I don't really know what that is...

The question I wanted to ask you or whoever knows, is in Rd One, (I'm thinking of the Swiss system) I am pretty sure they split the tourney in half.

Then number the bottom half plays the top half. So in a 12 person tourney in Rd 1 I think that the higher rated player plays Black on board 1, so then it would goes:

1 (Black) vs. 7 (White)
2 (White) vs. 8 (Black)
...........
to ..........
6 (White) vs. 12 (Black)

I was interested if the computer or system always alternated the colours in that way.

I did work out once who I was playing in one tournament and what colour (I was Black and I knew I would face an English, so I planned a general line, not too many variations, mainly a way, and I won a very sharp game, but it was my only win!).

No worries if you don't know or cant reply as I will just assume and or look at the openings of who I think I am to play...

Actually, as it stands I think I will be playing IM Anthony Ker in Rd 1. If colours alternate as I think, I will be Black. That will be a repeat of 2011 when I played him as W in Rd 1. I lost but I thought I was playing another player who didn't play.

So this is speculative. I will more or less be relaxed as I wont expect a win against an IM although I will try hard but a loss will be no embarrassment...

I think therefore I will be playing IM Kerr who has been several time NZ Champion and who I played first round also in 2011. He seems to play the Pirc. I usually play the Austrian against that. But I will consider. Of course it is always guess work what someone will play. It is not until 1st of Jan 2015.

I haven't played much as I didn't have a car.

Murray Chandler et al organised first of all a Chess Centre in Auckland (he bought a whole church!) and he is still running Gambit books. I don't think he plays much chess these days.

I should do better than 2011 as my rating is lower. Not sure if I'll get a chance at tackling any of the GMs but it might happen.

If you are satisfied with a draw and your opponent plays the Pirc then there is a relatively simple system with the white bishop on g2.I once witnessed
GM Alekseev draw the mighty Ivancuk with it.So proud he was back in 2004. This setup is not everyones cup of tea
when they must beat a lower rated opponent in the first round..

And good luck with the tournament.And I hope it turns out well for you.

This doesn't always work out well. Once, years ago, en route to a tournament with the then Irish champion David Dunne, we drove off the road and hit a wall. No damage done to the passengers, though - just the car. And I think Dunne won the tournament.

<Dom> Isn't the LENDL actually a Soviet-era car?

If so, your LENDL status seems somewhat ironic, if not ingenious.

Cheers mate ! >

I don't mind a draw against a master but I tend to play fairly aggressively. I make too many sacrifices to be honest. Once I sacrificed, knowing I was winning but then for the hell of it played another sac! It was stupid I have to say.

When I played Ker last time I launched into the Austrian although I knew about the quieter Nf3 lines. I am not sure. I am not sure whether to battle it out with a slow system or go hell for leather in Rd 1 then concentrate on the middle ranks. Of course if I win I will feel good. I am sure I can beat Ker. That might sound arrogant but he often gets into lost positions then pulls out. The trouble is, apart from the fact he might read this!..is that he might not play his usual opening.

But I will have a look at the Bg2 line. Thanks. I played Ivanchuk's line as Black against the c3 but even though I had prepared it I lost to a club player Keith Ward who only plays at the club and when players of all kinds of ranks come he often beats them if he is feeling good. He was the only player to beat GM Ganguly when he came. I have beaten him (Keith) but often he beat me...